Silent Hill: Relapse
by Zycuh Riedd
Summary: Simon Lawson found Silent Hill when his car broke down on the freeway. Now, deep withinthe bowels of the town, he wants to find his way home. The question is, could home be closer than he thinks? (Chapter 2 up!)
1. Hell

Simon shivered as he slammed his car door. It was cold, so very cold. This was probably why he hated winter, and so he hastily turned on the heat and started the engine. After a few futile revs ("Damn Pontiac!"), the young man finally got the car started, and pulled out of the gas station parking lot, a large Coke and some food in the back of his car.  
  
It had grown dark since he started on his drive from Maryland up to visit his family in New Hampshire. He was in the heart of New England, now, somewhere above Albany, New York. It was only a few weeks before Christmas, and since Simon had off from college for the holidays, he had decided to drive up to visit his parents (Muriel and Peter) and his sister (Abbey).  
  
Simon was coasting down the highway at a good ten miles above the speed limit when the flashing of red and blue appeared over the dark road, and in Simon's rear view mirror. "Damn," he cursed quietly as he watched the police officer's car pull closer. It was to his great surprise, though, that the car drove right on past him.  
  
Raising an eyebrow at the odd behavior, Simon peered into the police car. He saw someone driving, so surely they had a laser gun to check people's speeds. It wasn't like Simon was complaining, though. Grinning silently to himself, he continued on his drive.  
  
In the back of his mind, though, the police car gave him an eerie feeling.  
  
A little further down the highway, Simon noticed the flashing police lights again. They were far in front of him, but he could tell that they weren't moving. He blinked and looked again. The cop car was against the side of the road. Driving closer, his eyes widened: the car had crashed. Simon gaped as he passed. The driver wasn't in the car, though, so he drove on, hoping that the officer had gotten help.  
  
In the back of his mind, though, the car crash gave him an eerier feeling.  
  
It was another quiet half-hour before anything happened. This time, though, it gave Simon a sudden shock. literally. Out of no where, Simon was rear-ended by a small car. Simon looked in the mirror, and saw the car, and growled. "Not like there was anyone in the other lanes."  
  
Once again, the car back-ended him. This happened a couple of times, until Simon was finally forced off the road, his car now thoroughly wrecked. He got out and looked at the car driving away. There was no plate on the back, and he had no idea if there was one on the front.  
  
Sighing, Simon got back in his car and tried to restart it, but it wouldn't start, no matter how hard he tried. Cursing under the breath, he looked around for someone coming. He couldn't see anyone on the desolate highway, and so Simon turned around and looked ahead. In front of him was a sign that said "Silent Hill, next exit."  
  
Shrugging to himself, Simon grabbed the flashlight from his trunk and started to walk up to the exit ramp, and from there, into the town of Silent Hill.  
  
In the back of his mind, the name Silent Hill rang a bell, but he couldn't tell how.  
  
It was a dingy place, Silent Hill was. Simon looked at it with a very worried disgust. The sign that must have once said Welcome to Silent Hill was now faded so the writing was intelligible. From the entrance to the city, Simon could see that there were many buildings, but they all looked aged and decrepit. Sighing, and knowing he needed to find a phone, he entered the town.  
  
Simon would later come to regret this.  
  
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As Simon walked down the lonely streets, he got the strange feeling he was being watched. By what, he didn't know, but it felt like it. Shivering slightly, he pulled his coat tighter around himself and looked around for a hotel or a gas station.any place that had a phone, really.  
  
After nearly ten minutes of fruitless searching, Simon came upon a gas station. Cautiously, he walked up to the door and pushed on it. It didn't budge. Sighing, he tried again-nothing. Grimacing, Simon turned around and was face-to-face with the most ugly thing he had ever seen  
  
The-thing-was only a little taller than Simon was, with no face, no distinct hands, and no distinct feet. It had random stitches over it's body, and at some parts, chunks of its skin and muscle were missing. It was a light tan color.at least, where it wasn't covered with bloody patches. The monster let out a high-pitched shriek and lunged at Simon.  
  
Simon got out of the way just in time to watch the creature smash into the door with such force that it knocked the door open. Simon pushed himself backward, until his back his something hard. Looking up, he was slightly relieved to see it was just a car. The problem was, it wasn't working. In fact, it wouldn't have worked, since it seemed not to have an engine. Standing up, he saw inside a long, thin metal pipe.  
  
At that moment, the creature must have gotten back up, because the same blood-curdling shriek came from behind Simon. Jumping, Simon grabbed the pipe from the car, and turned around, wielding it like a sword. The monster lunged at him again, but Simon was ready (as ready as he ever could be, at least). He swung the pipe forcefully, and knocked the monster to the left, where it skidded. It laid there for a moment, before letting out a weakened squeak, and then died.if it hadn't been dead before.  
  
Simon gulped and trudged over to the creature. Poking it a few times with the pipe, he decided it was as dead as it could be, and walked back over to the gas station office.  
  
The inside was rank, dusty, and smelled of spirits. Simon coughed and looked around for a phone, anything. He found a phone, and picked it up quickly. There was no dial tone. His finger moved up and tapped on the receiver button repeatedly, but no dial tone came. Sighing, he hung the phone up angrily and then noticed a map sitting askew on the small desk in front of him.  
  
Simon picked it up and looked at it. It was of Silent Hill. Thinking that he'd need this at some point, he picked it up and pocketed it. Underneath the map was a small brochure.  
  
LAKESIDE APARTMENTS: "The Best View, For Cheap!"  
  
It said more, but Simon noticed the picture on the cover more. Lakeside Apartments.they seemed so familiar.  
  
Pocketing the brochure, he checked the town map, and using a small wax crayon he found in the booth, as well, marked the place of the apartments. Folding the map and pocketing it once again, he set out, pipe in hand, toward the apartments.  
  
In the course of a ten-minute period, Simon reached Lakeside Apartments. As he neared the front door, the feeling of déjà vu shot through his body. His hand frozen at the doorknob, he wondered whether he should go in. Fearing the worst, but hoping for the best, Simon turned the knob and walked inside.  
  
As soon as he did, he nearly asphyxiated himself. The floor was thick with dust, as was any flat, horizontal surface within the lobby of the apartments. Simon looked around, his flashlight illuminating the dark room. On the wall next to him was a bulletin board with a map and some odd pictures on it. Taking the map, he pocketed this as well, and took at the pictures on the corkboard. A few showed a happy group of people working, cleaning up a highway. Still others showed Simon pictures of what he guessed to be as residents of the now-derelict apartments. One stuck out, though.  
  
"Is that. me?" Simon asked himself quietly.  
  
One picture, in the top right corner of the pegboard, was of a man and a woman, on their wedding day. Simon stared at the man in the picture, who looked almost exactly like him. It was scary, and Simon felt he couldn't just leave it. Grabbing the picture, he ripped it off of the pegboard. Turning it over, there was a small note on the back. All it said was "Alice and Mike Lawson."  
  
Simon couldn't help but gawk at the picture and the note a bit more. Quickly, though, he pocketed the picture, and quietly he turned and reached for the handle of the stairwell door. Exploration might find him a phone, since there seemed to be none at the front desk.  
  
As he opened the door, little did Simon know that he had just opened his own personal portal to Hell, from which he might not return. 


	2. The Debacle

The hallways of Lakeside Apartments were dark, dank, and full of the smell of mildew. All around Simon, eerie sounds he could not start to comprehend echoed through the halls. Extremely cautious now, Simon flashed his light on every door, and tried every handle. At every door he came to, the knob was locked or the door was broken and warped, but sounds of the evilest nature rang from within.  
  
Simon's breathing was now barely above a whisper, though his lungs and heart seemed to be working overtime. With his hand shaking, the light of the flashlight bounced around the dark corridors, making shadows dance along the walls.  
  
As Simon passed room 154, the most unholy sound came from within. It was as if a child, a young child, was being ripped apart slowly, limb by limb, tendon by tendon. Simon nearly ran at the mere sound, but curiosity getting the best of him, he instead moved his other hand toward the door and placed it on the knob.  
  
He turned it.  
  
The door opened.  
  
The noise stopped.  
  
Simon's eyes were wide with horrific curiosity now. There was no more blood-curdling scream now, but there was no noise, either. All the eerie noises from before had stopped, and Simon couldn't even hear the beating of his own heart, nor the sound of his breathing. With shaking steps, he walked into the apartment.  
  
The room was in shambles. The bland tan wallpaper was peeling in some places, gone in others, and covered thick in red crust that Simon could only guess was blood (though he hoped it wasn't). Across from the entrance hallway (if you could really call it that), there was a small kitchenette with a half-demolished refrigerator, cabinets with doors missing and handles hanging on by one peg, and a sink filled with cracked and broken dishes and glasses.  
  
The living room/common area was not was it used to be, by Simon's guess. All that was there now was a couch without cushions, and a large chunk of the back missing. A lot of cotton and a spring or two were strewn about the floor, and it looked pretty new, as it didn't have things growing on it, and it wasn't stained by anything. Parallel to the couch was a TV. This is what got under Simon's skin.  
  
The television was on, but it was only snow. Still, it was on. The only thing that made this relative to being troublesome is that when Simon tried to flip the lights on for the room, they didn't work: there was no electricity in this room, at least.  
  
Cocking his head to the side, Simon walked over to the television. As he reached down to turn the dial on the box, the sound of quick footsteps came from behind him, and then the giggle of a little girl. Simon swung around, only to find nothing.  
  
"What the.?" he said to himself, and then, just like before, the giggle came again. Simon pinpointed it coming from the bedroom to the right of him, so as silently as possible, he made his way to the frame of the bedroom door, and peeked inside.  
  
Meeting his face at the doorframe was a little girls, maybe just ten years old. In a fit of terror, Simon jumped back, landing on the cushion-less couch. The little girl laughed softly and skipped up to him.  
  
"Wh-who're you?" stuttered out Simon.  
  
"Who wants to know?" inquired the little girl.  
  
"I do!"  
  
"Who's I?"  
  
Simon sighed, seeing he was getting nowhere. Standing up from the couch, he looked down at the girl. "My name is Simon Lawson. My car broke down on the freeway just outside of this town. Could you direct me to the phone, little girl?"  
  
The girl seemed to become offended at this. "I am not a little girl! My name is Amber. Amber McCoullah."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Am-"  
  
Before Simon could finish what he was saying, the little girl giggled again, and ran back into the bedroom. Simon followed suit, but when he entered the bedroom (though it had no bed, no nightstands, and no dressers), he found the girl to be gone. On the floor, though, was a small note. Picking it up, Simon opened it shakily and read:  
  
'Dear Michael, I have thought about you endlessly since you left. I wonder when will you come back to me? When will we continue with the life you so rudely tore apart?  
  
I am not mad at you, though.  
  
I could never be mad at you.  
  
All my love,  
  
Marcelle  
  
PS: When you do return, Jules wants to have a word with you on your behavior.she might do what she did to Yvette, so keep on your toes. Oh, if she saw me writing this.'  
  
"Who are these people?" said Simon to no one, and of course, didn't expect an answer. What he heard couldn't actually be considered an answer, but it shocked Simon all the same.  
  
From the living room, a low moan permeated the thick air that hung within the apartments. Spinning around, Simon could make out the hulking figure of.something. Really, though, Simon wasn't in the mood to find out what it was, so taking the chance, he ran quickly to the door, but found it locked. Raising an eyebrow, he barely had time to think before the massive figure of another monster was upon him.  
  
Gulping, Simon raised the steel pole, which he had tucked into his belt so both his hands would be free. The monster gave him the chills, even if he had a weapon. Its head, if you could call it that, was horse-like, and devoid of any eyes or ears, but had flaring nostrils and a large, gaping, toothless mouth. Its body was more man-like, with arms and legs, hands and feet, and tan, leathery skin.  
  
Quickly, Simon raised the pipe and conked the monster over the head with it, a loud ping ringing through the apartment. The monster staggered back, but didn't go down like the last monster Simon had encountered had. Taking the chance, Simon strafed around the monster, and ran into the second bedroom.  
  
*Bad idea,* Simon thought to himself.  
  
There was no means of escape in the second bedroom, and as the monster lurched into the room, releasing another low moan, Simon had the clear fear of dying. That's when he noticed the pistol lying on the bed behind him. Picking it up, and hoping to whatever higher power would listen, he pulled the trigger.  
  
There was a shot. With that reassurance, Simon released five more bullets into the monster. On the last projectile, the monster crumpled into a heap. Breathing heavily, Simon quickly stepped over the monster and went back to the door.  
  
It was unlocked.  
  
Bursting out of the room like a bat out of Hell, he closed the door and barricaded it with a chair he found (conveniently) sitting next to the room. Sighing, he looked around, and then the high-pitched shriek that he had first heard when he was at the gas station, where he saw that first monster, began to ring through the apartment hallway in a cacophonous chorus.  
  
Simon dropped to his knees, his hands shooting up to cover his ears. He looked up to see five or six of the monsters coming at him, and he knew he couldn't fend them off with just a steel pipe. The pistol had no more bullets, and he didn't have any extras.  
  
With a gasp, he knew that this, this moment in time, would be the last he ever had. Wishing he had come to this town, he watched as the world went black, and he became unconscious.  
  
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Simon awoke with a start to find himself in a small restaurant booth, his pistol and lead pipe lying harmlessly on the table next to him. Bars of golden sunlight were streaming across his face, and he had to shield his eyes to make sure he could see.  
  
The restaurant was empty, except for him. The walls had tacky wallpaper that was plastered with the restaurant chain's name. It was a bit dusty, but otherwise pretty new looking. On the table, along with his weapons, was a newspaper. Picking up the paper, he stared at one of the articles, a little ways down the front page:  
  
"Man Commits Suicide, Mysterious Activity Blamed"  
  
On Friday, January 5th, a one Mike Lawson drowned himself outside the Blanche Woods, which is just another incident in the recent string of mysterious occurrences. Officers speculate that the suicide was ritualistic, as the cuts were all in demonic symbols and in areas of the body not usually cut.  
Lawson's wife, Alice, was not available for comment.  
  
Simon scratched his head at this. The newspaper was dated January 5th, 1998, but the paper looked brand new. Shrugging, he folded it back up and placed it in the magazine rack of the restaurant, before grabbing the lead pipe and pistol and walking toward the front door.  
  
"You aren't going to go back out there, are you?"  
  
Simon jumped and spun around in one fluid movement.  
  
"Who are you?" he said warily.  
  
A tall woman, with short black hair that bobbed down to just past her ears, walked out from the shadows. She had very pale skin, and a very wry smile to match her shady, silver-blue eyes. Her clothes were nothing more than a long, hunter green dress, frilled with matching lace and a brooch.  
  
"I am Julia Portson."  
  
"I'm. Simon Lawson," he stammered out. He was still a bit stunned that he was even alive in the first place, but at least there was someone else in this circus sideshow of a town.  
  
Julia nodded at Simon. "A pleasure. Now, heed my warning, and do not go outside. The monsters crawl from every room."  
  
"I.I need to find a phone. I need to get home!" said Simon.  
  
"Why not stay here? It is safe here," Julia persuaded.  
  
"I can't stay in a fast food joint!"  
  
"Oh. yes.."  
  
"Now, if you please, I need to go find a phone," he said, blatantly annoyed, and started for the door again.  
  
"Well, perhaps you should check Brookhaven Hospital!" Julia called after him.  
  
Simon turned and looked at her, nodding. "I think I'll do that, thank you."  
  
As Simon left the restaurant, a small, devious smile slipped on to Julia's lips.  
  
"Let the debacle begin." 


End file.
